


■■'*, 



■J? >^ 



0° 















' ' A° ^p. - , o ' 






>_^ 







,sO 






•s^-n^ 



v^^--;/'^'-'. 







.0^ 






,C^9. 













x'^-n 



•^0 - ■ o\- 






.->■• 






\^^ 



~ ^: 



'P. 






t'. ,.^ 



O V 



>°-v 






. . « ' 



.-.v^ 



.s\' 






,0^ 









"V c<^ .^•^. 






.^^^^ 



V 






•^-'-0^ 

.^•^°- 



\' 



c 















,0 o " • ♦ ^ AT 






>• ..^' 



•^"^ %o 



^c 









,v^^ 












"■-.. 



J'' 



Digitized by the Internet Archive 
in 2010 with funding from 
The Library of Congress 









http://www.archive.org/details/preservationofni05unit 



"jA>j»v'"} • HOLSE OF KEHRESENTATIVES ) '^n'o^'I^''"^ 



PRESERVATION 



(;l 



NIAGARA FALLS 



MESSAGH FROM THE 
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES 

TKANSMITTINO 

A LKTTHR KROM THH SECRETARY OF WAR, SUB- 
MITTING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING 
THE OPERATION OF THE UNITED STATES LAKE 
SURVEY FROM JUNE 29, 1906, TO JUNE 29, 1911 




Drciimiikr 7. 1911.— Read, referred to the Committee on Forris'n Affairs, 
and ordered to bo printed, with illustrntioo.'- 



WASHINGTON 

1911 



62i. Conor BSS ) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ^^"'irr^ 

2d Sfsuon S I No. 24<j 



PRESERVATION 



( ) 



NIAGARA FALLS 



MHSSAGH FROM THE 
PRHSIDHNT OF THE UNITED STATES 

TRANSMITTINC. 

A LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY OE WAR, SUB- 
MITTING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING 
THE OPERATION OF THE UNITED STATES LAKE 
SURVEY FROM JUNE 20. 1^06. TO JUNE 29 1911 







1^1 ^ 7u.. rU 



liBCRMBBR 7, 1911. — Read, referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 
and ordered to tic printed, with illustrations. 



WASHINGTON 
1911 




n^ r,;. '"\7 



* ! \ <J. C^w ip '^ ■>■" 



LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. 



To the Senate and Hou^e of Representatives : 

Referring to my message of August 21, 191 1, transmitting, for the information of Congress, 
reports of investigations made in connection with the proceedings of the War Department under 
the provisions of the act of Congress approved June 29, 1906, "For the control and regulation of the 
waters of Niagara River, for the preser\'ation of Niagara Falls, and for other purposes," I transmit 
herewith a letter of the Secretary of War submitting additional infonnation concerning the pro- 
ceedings of that department, including a report of the operation of the United States Lake Survey 
from June 29, 1906, to June 29, 191 1, which sununarizes and supplements the reports of November 
30, 1908, and September 21, 1909, alx)ve mentioned, and including, also, reports of the Niagara 
Falls Committee of September 20, 1907, and October 2, 191 1, the latter of which furnishes a resumd 
of all nf the operations of the committee to that date, and supplements the reports of April 13, 1908, 
and April 5, 1909, printed in House Document No. 431, Sixty-first Congress, second session. 

Wm. H. Taft. 

The Wiiitiv House, December 7, igii. 

3 



PRESERVATION OF NIAGARA FALLS. 



War Department, 
Washington, November 9, 1911. 
The President: 

On August 19, 191 1, I had the honor to submit to you reports dated November 30, 1908, and 
September 21, 1909, of investigations made in connection with the proceedings of the Secretary 
of War under the act of Congress approved June 29, 1906, for the preservation of Niagara Falls, 
which reports were transmitted to Congress with your message of August 21, 191 1, and printed 
in Senate Document No. 105, Sixty-second Congress, first session. My letter concluded with the 
statement that a final report of the proceedings under that act would be included with my forth- 
coming annual report, which statement was repeated in your message. By joint resolution of 
Congress approved August 22, 191 1, the provisions of the act of June 29, 1906, were extended to 
March i, 1912, and, in view of the consideration which the entire question may receive at the next 
session of Congress, it is thought that it may be of greater public convenience to present the detailed 
information relating to the subject in special form rather than to combine it with the appendixes 
accompanying my annual report. 

I have therefore the honor to submit to you, with the recommendation that they be transmitted 
to Congress, a comprehensive report of the operations of the United States Lake Survey, under 
appropriation "Preservation of Niagara Falls," from June 29, 1906, to June 29, 1911, which sum- 
marizes and supplements the reports of November 30, 1908, and September 21, 1909, printed in 
Senate Document No. 105, Sixty-second Congress, first session, as previously stated; also a report 
of the chairman pro tempore of the Niagara Falls committee, dated September 20, 1907; also a 
report of the chairman of the Niagara Falls committee, dated October 2, 1911, giving a r^sum6 
of all of the operations of the committee to that date and supplementing the reports of April 13, 
1908, and April 5, 1909, printed in House Document No. 431, Sixty-first Congress, second session. 
Very respectfully, 

H. I,. Stimson, Secretary of War. 



War Department, 
Office op the Cibuef of Fngineers, 

Washington, October 20, igii. 
The Secretary of War. 

Sir: i. I have the honor to submit herewith a report of Lieut. Col. Charles S. Rich6, Corps 
of Engineers, the officer in charge of the Survey of the Northern and Northwestern Lakes, concerning 
the operations of the Lake Sui-vey during the period extending from June 29, 1906, to June 29, 1911, 
conducted by direction of the Secretary of War in connection with his proceedings under the 
provisions of the act of Congress approved June 29, 1906, "For the control and regulation of the 
waters of Niagara River, for the preservation of Niagara Falls, and for other purposes." 

2. Referring to the letter of the Secretary of War of August 19, 191 1, submitting to the Presi- 
dent special reports by the officer in charge of the Lake Survey, dated November 30, 1908, and 
September 21, 1909, upon the investigations at Niagara Falls, and to the message of the President 
of August 21, 1 91 1, transmitting the reports to Congress, it is recommended that the report now 
submitted, together with the report of the operations of the Niagara Falls Committee submitted 
by its chairman to the Secretary of War October 2, 1911, be included with the forthcoming annual 
report of the Secretary of War. 

Very respectfully, W. H. Bixby, 

Chief of Engineers, United States Army. 

S 



REPORT OF OPERATIONS OF THE U. S. LAKE SURVEY. 



Under appropriation, " Preservation of Niagara Falls," June 29, 1906, to June 29, 1911. 



United States Lake Survey Office, 

Old Customhouse, 
Detroit, Mich., September jo, j^ii. 
The Chief of Engineers, 

United States Army, Washington, D. C. 
General: In accordance with instructions in department letter of August 25, 1911, I have 
the honor to submit herewith a summarized statement of the operations of the Lake Survey Office 
under appropriation "Preservation of Niagara Falls" from June 29, 1906, to June 29, 1911. 

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

C. S. RiCHE, 
Lieutenant Colonel, Corps of Engineers. 

Under the provisions of the act of Congress approved June 29, 1906, entitled "An act for the 
control and regulation of the waters of Niagara River, for the preservation of Niagara Falls, and 
for other purposes," the Secretary of War was authorized to grant permits for the diversion, in 
the United States, of water from the Niagara River and its tributaries, not exceeding to any one 
individual, company, or corporation a maximum amount of 8,600 cubic feet per second, and not 
exceeding for all permits a total of 15,600 cubic feet per second. The Secretary of War was further 
authorized to grant revocable permits for the diversion of additional amounts of water after tl.e 
full amount of 15,600 cubic feet had been diverted in the State of New York for a period of not 
less than six months, and then only to such an extent as "in connection with the amount diverted 
on the Canadian side shall not injure or interfere with the navigable capacity of said river, or its 
integrity or proper volume as a boundary stream, or the scenic grandeur of Niagara Falls." 

The consideration of the various technical questions involved in enforcing the provisions of 
this act, the supervision of power and transmission companies operating under permits issited in 
accordance therewith, and the field operations for determining the extent and effects of diversions 
have been largely delegated to the officers in charge of the Lake Sur\'ey under various allotments 
from the appropriation pro\dded by section 6 of this act. A resume of these operations previous 
to 1908 is given in the following extract from the special report of JIaj. Charles Keller, Corps of 
Engineers, to the Chief of Engineers, dated November 30 of that year.' 

On July 17, igo6, the Chief of Engineers called the attention of the officer then in charge of the Lake Survey, 
the late Lieut. Col. James L. Lusk, Corps of Engineers, to these provisions (sec. 2) of the above act, and directed him 
to consider the problems involved in enforcing them, and to make such arrangements as could be made to furnish 
the information that would undoubtedly be called for, in connection with the questions arising during the life of 
the act. , 

With this in view, a partj^ belonging to the Lake Survey, then in the field for the purpose of making surveys 
needed to modernize the charts of the head and of the moutli of the Niagara River, was directed to perform the 
necessary triangulation, run level lines, take topography and hydrography, and to do such other instrumental work, 
at and in the immediate vicinity of Niagara Falls, as would be needed in making an accurate chart of the Falls, 
including the crest-line of the American Fall and soundings in its approaches. Further, this part\-, which had already 
established automatic gauges at the mouth of Black Creek, at Chippawa, and at the Whirlpool on the Canadian side, 
and at Suspension Bridge and Lewiston on the American side, in August, 1906, installed an additional small, self- 
registering gage at Willow Island, abreast of the head of Goat Island in the approach to the American Fall, and, in 
November, igo6, two gauges of the same kind at Prospect Point, just above the north end of the crest of the American 
Fall, and at Terrapin Point at the east end of the crest of die Horseshoe Fall. These gauges were operated until freezing 
weather in December, except that at Suspension Bridge, which was carried away by high water in October, and 
those at the Whirlpool and Lewiston, which were discontinued November 10, 1906. 

' Printed in S- Doc. No. 105, Sixty-second Congress, first session. 7 



8 PResERVATION OP NIAGARA FALLS. 

As a result of this work, a preliminary report, dated November 21, 1906, was submitted to the Chief of Engineers, 
outlining a program of observations and measurements necessary and desirable in determining the effect of the diver- 
sion authorized in the act, and this was followed by another report, dated January 30, 1907, in which the final results 
of the fieldwork were stated and the above program reaffirmed. 

On April 23, 1907, the Chief of Engineers informed this office that tlie sum of Ss.ooo, from the appropriation made 
by section 6 of tlie act approved June 29, 1906, had been allotted for the purpose of "such observations and to carry 
on such operations as may be necessary to determine whether the diversion of the authorized amount of 15,60c cubic 
feet per second from the American side, in connection with that to be diverted on the Canadian side for the develop- 
ment of 160,000 horsepower, injures or interferes with the navigable capacity of said river, or with its integrity and 
proper volume as a boundary' stream, or with tlie scenic grandeur of Niagara Falls." 

The "navigable capacity" of the Niagara River is dependent on its depth and velocity, and these are measurable 
elements. Its "integrity and proper volume as a boundary stream" are questions of fact which can be determined 
from measurements of discharge and from suitable stirveys. The "scenic grandeur of Niagara Falls" appears, on 
the other hand, to be dependent on opinion and sentiment, and it seems almost absurd to attempt to demonstrate, 
by physical measurement of any kind, what the effect of the above diversion, or of any diversion, will be upon the 
Falls, considered solely as a spectacle. If, however, it be conceded that the "scenic grandeur "of the Falls is depend- 
ent largely, if not exclusively, upon the awe with which they impress the spectator, and tliat this sensation is due 
to the irresistible power of their enormous volume of flow and upon the height of fall, then even grandeur is suscepti- 
ble of measurement, since reduction in volume and height will measurably, if not sensibly, affect the Falls as a spec- 
tacle. Moreover, the effect produced by the Falls is intimately connected with unity of sensation, and this is 
seriously disturbed by breaks in the crest lines, which follow reduction in volume. Accordingly, the questions 
raised in the act of June 29, 1906, may all be answered by the ascertainment of the law connecting volume of dis- 
charge with river and lake height, and by means of surveys showing profiles, bottom configurations, current direc- 
tions, and crest lines. 

The project of April 30, 1907, for the expenditure of the allotment of $5,000 above mentioned, therefore covered 
field operations, which included investigations of hydraulic conditions by means of measurement of flow, by observations 
of profiles, by soundings, and by ascertainment of current lines at and immediately above the falls. 

The measurement of the flow of the river was intended to serve as a test of the law of discharge derived from the 
observations of 1898-1900, made at the International Bridge at Buffalo. This law, modified if rendered necessarj' by 
the altered conditions, would serve, when the law of change of surface profile at tlie various significant points had been 
fully established, to determine the effects of diversions on the falls and on water levels at other localities. It was 
further proposed to measure the approximate volume of flow of the American Fall, while the measurement of the flow 
in the canals of the two American power companies was a necessary part of the project. 

Field operations were begun late in May, 1907. Automatic gauges were established at Austin Street in Black Rock, 
Chippawa, Grass Island, Whirlpool, and at Suspension Bridge, and the operation of the permanent Lake Survey 
self-register at Buffalo Breakwater Light Station was, of course, continued. 

During June the crest line of the American Fall was redetermined and shown to be practically the same as at the 
time of the last determination, in 1S75. The survey of 1906 had shown a retreat of the mean trend of the apex of the 
Horseshoe Fall, since this time, of 170 feet. In September, November, and December discharge observations were 
made in the canals of the two American power companies, and in October and November 40 discharge measurements 
of the Niagara River were made at the International Bridge, In November and December the discharge over the 
American Fall was measured by a series of float observations. The flow of the Erie Canal was also measured and float 
observations were also made to determine more definitely the depths and the configuration of the river bed above the 
Horseshoe Fall. 

While the field work of the autumn of 1907 had furnished sufficiently definite results, during the reduction and 
plotting of these observations, in the winter of 1907-8 it became evident that, in order to confirm tlie validity of the 
conclusions derived from the work of the field season of 1907, additional gauge and discharge observations would be 
desirable. 

Accordingly, in Jlay; 190S, a recommendation was made to the Chief of Engineers that an additional allotment of 
$3,000 be made from the appropriation of the act of June 29, igo6, for the purpose of enabling about 60 more measurements 
of discharge at the International Bridge to be made and for continuing, during the open-water season of 1908, the gauges 
used in the slope observations of 1907. It was also proposed to take advantage of the opportunity offered by a coming 
complete shutdown of the Niagara Falls Power Co., to test the validity of conclusions already made and to observe 
effects consequent upon so radical a change in the diversion conditions. These recommendations having been approved 
by the Chief of Engineers, the requested allotment was made by the Secretary of War on May 18, 1908. 

Field operations were inaugurated and continued during the season of 1908 in accordance with 
the project upon which this last allotment was made. The gauges of 1907 were reestablished and 
additional gauges were placed at Schlossers Dock QJchota), on the American side, and above the 
Horseshoe Fall on the Canadian side. Of these, the ones at Austin Street, Schlossers Dock, and 
Wing Dam were removed late in August after suspension of discharge measurements at the Inter- 
national Bridge, and the others were operated until freezing weather made their removal necessary. 
The measurements of river flow at the standard bridge section were resumed in June, 1908, and upon 
the suspension of field work in August 78 independent determinations of the discharge had been made. 



PRESERVATION OP NIAGARA FALLS. - 9 

Eight additional measurements made in October by the hydraulic party on its return trip from the 
St. Lawrence River concluded the discharge work in the Niagara River up to the present time. The 
results of the 126 measurements taken during 1907-8 are summarized on pages 2503-2505, Annual 
Report of the Chief of Engineers for 1909. 

Extensive preparations were made to observe the effect on river slopes during the shutdown of 
the Niagara Falls Power Co. on June 14, 1908, and valuable information was expected from the 
observations. Unfortunately, this shutdown, which was of short duration, was accompanied by a 
storm on Lake Erie, and the abnormal conditions in the river obscured the effect of the decreased 
diversion. An examination by the power company at this time revealed the necessity of repairs to 
the tailrace tunnel and to the bridge abutment at its outlet, and accordingly a second shutdown, aggre- 
gating practically 10 days, was made in July and August. Preparations were then again made for 
special observations to determine the effect of decreased diversion on the slopes and flow in the 
Niagara River. The Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power & Manufacturing Co. offered its cooperation 
to the extent of materially increasing its diversion for a short period and then practically closing down, 
thus largely increasing the range in amount of diverted water. During the period of shutdown 
automatic gauges were carefully watched, and to make certain of continuous records at the critical 
points lo-minute staff-gauge readings were taken day and night at Buffalo and at Austin Street, 
Black Rock. Additional staff gauges were also maintained at Prospect Point on the crest of the 
American Fall, in the canals of the two American companies, and in the approach to the Ontario Co.'s 
intake. The discharge measurements at the International Bridge, together with measurements of 
flow in the Hydraulic Company's canal, were continued daily throughout the period of shutdown. 
Prior to the shutdown and after resumption the flow in the canals of both American companies 
was observed. 

Weather conditions were excellent during these tests, and the results were highly satisfactory 
and extremely valuable. The mean condition of the river for the period of 10 days' shut-down com- 
pared with that preceding and following gives a positive basis of determining the effects of diversion 
by the American companies on river slopes, on the level of Lake Erie, and on the relative volumes 
of flow over the American and Horseshoe Falls. 

The results of the 1907-8 hydraulic work on the Niagara, the study of slopes, flow lines, and 
other natural characteristics of the river, and the effects of diversions by the power companies on 
navigable capacit}' of the river, on its integrity as a boundary stream, and on the scenic grandeur 
of Niagara Falls are well set forth in the comprehensive report of November 30, 1908, by Maj. Charles 
Keller, Corps of Engineers. (S. Doc. No. 105, 62d Cong., ist sess.) 

Based on the data of discharge measurements made in the canal of the Niagara Falls Power 
Co. in 1-907, Maj. C. W. Kutz, Corps of Engineers, then in charge of supervision of power and trans- 
mission companies operating under War Department permits, had prescribed for this company a 
limitation of 65,000 horsepower output, measured at the switchboard. The operating conditions in 
practice at that time, when the capacity of the discharge tunnel and the economical operation of the 
plant were not fully understood, made this limitation logical. The low efficiency which this devel- 
opment represented aroused a sense of the possibilities of the plant under efficient operation, and 
early in the spring of 1 909 the company made representation that this limitation did not represent the 
capacity of the plant for the limiting diversion of 8,600 cubic feet of water per second. With the 
realization that the limitation prescribed deprived the company of rights to which it was entitled, 
a project was presented on April 3, 1909, looking to an exhaiistive series of tests to determine the out- 
put of power and the consumption of water under various conditions of operation. 

The approval of the project on April 15 carried an allotment of $5,000 and field operations under 
direction of the Lake Survey office began on May 4, 1909. During the season 336 measurements of 
flow in the canal of the power company were made, covering, according to a prearranged program, 
53 test conditions of operation of the plant. By the graphic construction of efficiencj' curv^es for the 
generating units in the two power houses, as determined by these measurements, a table was pre- 
pared embodying the practicable operating combinations and the corresponding switchboard limi- 
tations whereby the total diversion of water should in no case exceed the limit prescribed by law. 
This table is published on page 2724, report of the Chief of Engineers for 1910. It was determined 
by the measurements that, in addition to the maximum capacity of the International Paper Co. — 
19070— II 3 



lO 



PRESERVATION OP NIAGARA FALLS. 



a tenant of the Niagara Falls Power Co. — the latter could generate in 1909 about 82,000 electrical 
horsepower at the switchboard without exceeding the allowable diversion as prescribed by its permit. 

The diversion of the Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power & Manufacturing Co. was measured at a 
selected section in its canal in 1909, and by deducting the reported consumption of water by tenant 
companies it was determined that the Hydraulic Company was then developing 16.6 horsepower 
per cubic foot of water per second through its own turbines. The maximum flow obser\'ed in its 
canal was then about 4,000 cubic feet per second, or about 60 per cent of the maximum under its 
permit. 

For the purpose of further strengthening the determination of slope relations in the Niagara 
River and of observing the effects of increased diversions, the automatic gauges at Grass Island, 
Horseshoe Falls (above the falls on the Canadian side), Suspension Bridge, and Whirlpool were main- 
tained during the season of 1909. 

During the season of 1910 the gauge formerly at Grass Island was operated at Chippawa, Ontario, 
and the other three gauges were continued in their former positions. 

The funds from pre\dous allotments having become exhausted, the Secretary of War on June 
17, 1910, allotted to the Lake Survey an additional sum of $1,000, to defray the expenses of continued 
investigation of slope relations in the Niagara River, the supervision of power and transmission com- 
panies at Niagara Falls which had been delegated to the Lake Survey oflice since August 14, 1908, 
and for incidental investigations. 

In the fall of 19 10 the Niagara Falls Power Co. completed the remodeling of one of the gener- 
ating units in its power house No. i by the substitution of an improved turbine and the addition of a 
draft tube. Upon the representation of the company that by the increased mechanical efficiency 
of this unit it was entitled to a modification of the imposed Umitations, the Lake Sur\'ey cooperated 
in conducting a series of tests to determine the effect of the improvements. While the results were 
unsatisfactory, due to the use of a defective instrument, they appeared to demonstrate conclusively 
that the remodeled unit is fully as efficient as those in power house No. 2. As further tests would 
have required extensive preparations impossible to complete before the formation of ice in the canal, 
the following table was prepared, based on the assumption that the remodeled unit in power house 
No. I is equivalent in efficiency to the units in power house No. 2. The re\'ised table of limitations is 
supplemental to that previously used and is operative only when the remodeled unit in power house 
No. I is in operation. This table became effective November 3, 1910. 

r.ii/c of operating limitations of Niagara Falls Power Co., effective after JMov. J, IQIO. 







Permissible output. 


Units in operation, in- 
cluding No. 10, power 














house No. I. 


Valve in No. 


I no less than 


Valve in No. i no less than 




sopej 


cent. 


7S per cent. 


Total. 


No, I. 


No. 3. 


Kilowatts. 


Approximate 
horsepower. 


Kilowatts. 


Approximate 
horsepower. 


IS 


4 


II 


('^ 


('^ 




0) 


IS 


S 


10 


(V 


('? 


m 


IS 


6 


9 


(' 


(' 


^^} 


(1) 


IS 


7 


8 


(' 


(V 


(' 


(i) 


IS 


8 


7 ■ 


(') 


(') 


(■) 


(1) 


16 


S 


II 


63,200 


83,300 


63,200 


S3, 300 


1 16 


6 


10 


60,400 


So. 900 


60,400 


80,900 


16 


7 


9 


's8,6oo 


78.S00 


SS,6oo 


78,500 


16 


8 


8 


S6,900 


76,200 


56,900 


76, 200 


16 


9 


7 


5S. 100 


73.800 


55-300 


74.100 


17 


6 


II 


56,500 


75. 700 


s6,Soo 


76.100 


17 


7 


ID 


SS,2oo 


74,000 


55. 200 


74,000 


17 


8 


9 


S3. 400 


71,600 


53.400 


71,600 


17 


9 


8 


S3, 100 


69,800 


53.100 


69.800 


iS 


7 


II 


SI. 500 


69.000 


53,600 


70,500 


iS 


8 


10 


49.900 


66,900 


51.500 


69,000 


iS 


9 


9 


48,200 


64,600 


50,200 


67.300 


19 


8 


II 


47.200 


63,300 


49,900 


66,900 


19 


9 


ID 


45,400 


60,800 


49,000 


65.700 


Operation not limited. 


41,500 k 


lowatts. 


J 5S.600 horsepower. 



1 Unlimited. 

NOTB.— This schedule is based on 7,875 c. f. s. of water available in plant of Niagara Falls Power Co. and 735 c. f . s. in the plant of the Internationa! 
Paper Co. 



PRESERVATION OF NIAGARA FALLS. II 

In consideration of the possible expiration of the Burton Act on June 29, 1911, no further tests 
were demanded in the spring, and the Hmitations previously estabUshed for the output of the Niagara 
Falls Power Co. were continued in use until the lapse of the permits issued imder the act. 

During the winter of 1910-11 the gauge records taken in the Niagara River during the two 
previous seasons were reduced in the office, and an elaborate study was made of the slope relations 
and the changes therein during the operation of the act, due to changes in regimen and to increased 
diversions of water by the power companies. 

There were no field operations undertaken during the season of 1911, previous to June 29, other 
than the continued supervision of the power and transmission companies. 

On January 20, 191 1, an additional allotment of $2,000 was made to defray office and supervi- 
sion expenses and to allow of continued office reductions. Of this allotment an unexpended balance 
of $250.73 was refunded to the Treasury on July 29. 

Amounts aggregating $2,797.71 have been disbursed for salaries and miscellaneous expenses of 
the Niagara Falls Committee, an allotment of $2,000 having been made for this purpose and the 
balance being paid from the various allotments to the Lake Survey. In addition to this total, 
Habilities on account of this committee incurred prior to June 29, 1911, amounting to $710.87, have 
since been settled by the Lake Survey from funds allotted for the purpose. 

The foregoing is a brief statement of the various projects and allotments and of the operations 
under them. 

The Niagara River, the natural outlet for surplus waters of the four upper bodies of the Great 
Lakes and their drainage basins, has its head or source in the the eastern end of Lake Erie, flowing 
in a general northerly direction for a distance of about 35 miles and emptying into the westerly end 
of Lake Ontario. For mean stages of Lakes Erie and Ontario, 1860-1910, it has a total fall of 
326.38 feet and a discharge of 210,000 cubic feet of water per second, which, incidentally, represents 
a theoretical energy of nearly 8,000,000 horsepower. The river is divided by nature into alternate 
basins or pools, and rapids or cataracts, the characteristics of which have important bearings on 
the measurements of river flow and the effects of the various diversions. The pools, in downstream 
order, are: First, Lake Erie; second, the Grass Island-Chippawa pool, extending from Squaw Island 
to the upper rapids; third, the Upper Gorge, extending from the foot of the falls to Suspension 
Bridge; fourth, the Whiripool; and fifth, the lower river below Lewiston and including Lake Ontario. 
The connecting rapids, cascades, and cataracts are similar in effect to artificial dams or weirs and 
are subject to practically the same natural laws. The first and second pools are connected by a 
rapids of comparatively slight fall (about 5 feet) and of gradual and continuous descent. The 
second weir extends from the upper cascade, through the upper rapids and the two falls, with a total 
fall of 222 feet. The third weir includes the Whirlpool Rapids, with a fall of about 48 feet; and the 
fall from the Whirlpool to Lewiston is 47 feet. It is evident from the above that the height of 
water in any one of the three lower pools has no effect on those above. 

On the contrary, it has been positively demonstrated by the measurements of flow in the upper 
Niagara River, and by the observations of the effects of the shutdown in 1908 of the Niagara Falls 
Power Co., that local conditions in the Grass Island-Chippawa pool, and, consequently, the efi'ect 
of diversions from this pool, extend upstream through the rapids at the International Bridge to 
Lake Erie. It was found that a diversion of 10,000 cubic feet per second from the Grass Island- 
Chippawa pool would momentarily increase the discharge over the upper weir by about i ,000 cubic 
feet per second, resulting in an ultimate lowering of Lake Erie, to compensate for this increased 
flow, of slightly over one-half inch. From the fact that several cascades with practically free over- 
falls intervene between the Grass Island-Chippawa pool and the intakes of the Electrical Develop- 
ment Co. and the Canadian Niagara Power Co., it is evident that the diversions of these companies 
can have no effects on the stages of water in and above this second pool, and as there is no commer- 
cial navigation between this pool and Lewiston it is only the diversion of those companies drawing 
water from the Grass Island-Chippawa pool, or above, that can "injure or interfere with the navi- 
gable capacity of the river." For the consideration of this question, then, only the diversions of 
water by the Ontario Power Co., the Niagara Falls Power Co., and the Niagara Falls HydrauUc 
Power & Manufacturing Co., all taking water from the second pool, and the diversions from the 



I.|2^ , PRESERVATION OF NIAGARA FALLS. 

Erie Canal, which in effect are diversions from Lake Erie, are relevant. The Lockport Hydraulic 
Co., at lyockport, N. Y., has been using until lately its maximum limit of 500 cubic feet per second 
in addition to the amount by-passed for maintenance of the Erie Canal. 

Based on the relation of Lake Erie stages and the Niagara River outflow, this diversion results 
in a lowering at Buffalo of 0.02 foot, with about one-half of this effect extended to the pool below. 
The estimated diversion in June, 191 1, from the Grass Island-Chippawa pool of 17,100 second-feet 
results in a lowering in this immediate vicinity of 0.44 foot, with a corresponding lowering in Lake 
Erie of 0.08 foot. The total effects, then, of the present diversions, so far as they affect navigation on 
the Niagara River, are the lowering of Lake Erie i yi inches and of the upper Niagara River from i }{ 
iiiches at Austin Street to 5>^ inches at the head of the rapids above the Falls. The lowering of 
Lake Erie disturbs the natural slopes of Detroit and St. Clair Rivers and results in a sUght lowering 
on Lakes Michigan and Huron and on St. Marys River below the locks. Though the changes are 
slight, practically the entire commerce of the Lakes above Niagara is affected. With an appreciation 
of the immense cost and the value to commercial interests of increased depths in the harbors and 
connecting rivers of the Great Lakes, the detrimental effects to navigation of diversions from the 
Niagara River can not be considered negligible. 

However, the commerce in the Niagara River below Tonawanda is at present insignificant 
and that in the river above is little if any affected by the small changes shown. It may be stated, 
therefore, that the present diversions, and the additional amounts necessary to bring the total to the 
limits of the Burton Act, so called, will not injure or interfere with the navigable capacity of the 
Niagara River. 

As to the effects of diversions, to the extent at present authorized, on the integrity and proper 
volume of the Niagara River as a boundary stream, it is not apparent that the river through these 
diversions has suffered. The upper and lower river still continue to discharge approximately the 
same volume of water, the diminished flow being only over the cataracts and the rapids immediately 
above. Over this portion the stream, while appreciably decreased, still maintains sufficient width 
and depth to effectively delimit the boundary. Moreover, it remains impassable and continues to 
discharge immensely more than many of the smaller international boundary streams and has con- 
siderably more than double the flow of the St. Marys River. 

The extent of the injury to or interference with the scenic grandeur of Niagara Falls caused by 
present and authorized diversions may be best determined by a consideration of the effect of these 
diversions on the depth and volume of flow over the cataracts and on the continuity of the crest 
lines, for on these depends largely the character of spectacle that it is desired to preserve. 

In 1907 the flow over the American Fall was measured with floats in the channel near the head 
of Goat Island and was determined to be 9,916 cubic feet per second. Lake Erie at the time was at 
an elevation of 572.41 feet, corresponding to a discharge in the upper river of about 205,000 cubic 
feet per second. The flow over the American Fall was therefore less than 5 per cent of the total 
flow of the river. Naturally it might be supposed that the diversions of the American companies, 
with their intakes both less than a mile above the head of Goat Island, would have a relatively large 
effect in decreasing the volume of flow over the American Fall, especially as their diversions exceed 
in amount the normal flow in the American channel. The observations during the shutdown of 
the American companies in 1908, when about 6,200 cubic feet per second were restored to the river, 
showed conclusively, however, that their diversions are for the most part drawn from waters that 
would naturally flow to the westward of Goat Island, and that the effects on elevations in the Amer- 
ican channel are only about one-third of the effects of like diversions from Lake Erie or the upper 
river. The actual change shown by a comparison of the means of two lo-day periods was a rise, due 
to the decreased diversion, of 0.012 foot at the Prospect Point gauge, situated at the northeast end of 
the American Fall, and a simultaneous rise of 0.037 foot ^^ Wing Dam gauge opposite the head of Goat 
Island. Based on this comparison, it is determined that the total authorized diversion of the Amer- 
ican companies, together with the present consumption of the Ontario company, will lower the 
depth on the American Fall about yi inch and decrease the volume of flow about 5 per cent. As 
the lowering \vill result in unwatering little if any of the crest line, and as the decreased flow will 
be scarcely appreciable, it may be considered that the changes on the American Fall are unimportant. 



PRESERVATION OF NIAGARA FA1.LS. 13 

The depth and volume of flow over the Horseshoe Fall are directly affected, not only by the 
diversions from the Grass Island-Chippawa pool and from Lake Erie, but by those from below the 
upper cascade, and here are found the really harmful scenic effects of the diversions. By estab- 
lished gauge relations it is determined that the height of water at Terrapin Point, at the Goat Island 
end of the Horseshoe, is lowered o.ii foot for each 10,000 cubic feet per second diversion, and the 
corresponding effect at the Canadian end of the fall is 0.27 foot. For the authorized diversion in 
the United States of 15,600 cubic feet per second and the estimated diversion on the Canadian side 
in June, 1911, of 11,000 cubic feet, it is determined that the Horseshoe is lowered 0,29 foot at the 
Goat Island end and 0.72 foot at the Canadian end, and that the mean volume of flow is decreased 15 
to 20 per cent. A large part of the water descending the Horseshoe Fall passes over the center or 
apex. The recession of this portion of the crest line, due to the enormous flow, is progressing at a 
rate of about 5 feet per year. In turn, the overflow is becoming more concentrated, and the depths 
on other portions of the crest are necessarily being decreased. Gauge relations indicate that the 
surplus over the apex is drawn principally from the Canadian shore. Since 1906, the effect has 
•been a lowering, at mean stages, of one-half foot over the west end of the fall. The effect then of 
the total diversions, and of the natural change of regimen since 1906, will account for lowerings on 
the Canadian and Goat Island ends of the falls, at mean lake level, of 15 inches and 2,% inches, respec- 
tively. The present return of low stages on the Great Lakes, due to deficiency in rainfall and run-off, 
has had the further natural effect of lowering the water at the west end of the fall 5 inches with a 
similar efi^ect at Terrapin Point of 2 inches. The total changes have resulted in an appreciable 
decrease in the volume of flow and, due to the deficient depths at the ends of the falls, to a marked 
interference with the continuity and length of crest line, unquestionably marring the natural beauty 
of this cataract. While natural causes have been chiefly instrumental in effecting these changes, 
it appears indisputable that the artificial diversions of the power companies have materially added 
to the "injury or interference with the scenic grandeur of Niagara Falls." Additional diversions, 
now contemplated, will increase this damage. 

Under authority of the act of Congress approved June 29, 1906, the Secretary of War has issued 
permits for the diversion, in the United States, of water from the Niagara River and its tributaries, 
or for the transmission of power from the Dominion of Canada into the United States, to six separate 
companies or corporations, briefly as follows : 

August 16, igoj. — To the Niagara Falls Power Co., for a maximum diversion of 8,600 cubic feet per second from 
the Niagara River. 

August 16, igoy. — To the Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power & Manufacturing Co. (corporate name since changed to 
Hydraulic Power Co.), for a maximum diversion of 6,500 cubic feet per second from the Niagara River. 

August 16, igoy. — To the Lockport Hydraulic Co. (rights later assigned to Hydraulic Race Co.), for a maximum 
diversion of 500 cubic feet per second from the Erie Canal; this in addition to the by-passing of sufficient water to 
operate the canal. 

August 16, igoy. — To the Niagara Falls Power Co., to receive from the Canadian Niagara Power Co., at the inter- 
national boundary line, and to transmit from the Dominion of Canada into the United States, 52,500 electrical horse- 
power; such electrical power to be received in the United States in the first instance by the Niagara Falls Power Co. 
or its distributing agents, or others with whom it or the Canadian Niagara Power Co. has or hereafter ma^' have con- 
tracts for power delivery in the United States. 

August ly, igoy. — To the Niagara Falls Electrical Transmission Co., and to the Cataract Power & Conduit Co., 
and to such other distributing agents or companies in the United States as the Electrical Development Co. of Ontario 
(Ltd.) may designate to receive from the said Electrical Development Co. of Ontario (Ltd.) at the international 
boundary line and to transmit into the United States 46,000 electrical horsepower, provided that a part of such elec- 
trical power may be received by the Cataract Power & Transmission Co. at the international boundary over the power 
transmission lines of the Canadian Niagara Power Co., and that the remaining part of such electrical power may be 
transmitted into the United States over transmission circuits thereafter to be approved by the Chief of Engineers, 
and may be received by the said Niagara Falls Electrical Transmission Co., or such other distributing agents or com- 
panies in the United States as the said The Electrical Development Co. of Ontario (Ltd.) may designate. 

August 16, igoy. — To the Niagara, Lockport & Ontario Power Co., to receive from the Ontario Power Co. of 
Niagara Falls at the international boundary line, and to transmit into the United States, 60,000 electrical horsepower. 

The permits for transmission of power provide also for submission to the Chief of Engineers, 
for approval, of plans showing the location of all lines or circuits over which power enters the United 
States then or thereafter, and each permit indicates the place and manner of determining the amount 
of power. 



14 PRESERVATION OF" NIAGARA PAI,LS. 

All of the above-named original permits for diversion of water and for transmission of power 
into the United States have continued in force, without intermission or alteration, to June 29, 191 1, 
and no others, revocable or otherwise, have been issued. 

The operations of the several companies under their respective permits were supervised by 
Capt. C. W. Kutz, Corps of Engineers, United States Army, up to August 14, 1908; since that date 
the duty has been delegated to the officer in charge of the Lake Survey. Frequent and thorough 
inspections of the several power plants have been made, and the diversions, power developments, 
improvements, etc., have been closely watched. Previous to 1909, the inspections were made 
principally by the officer in charge upon special visits for that purpose, but the rapidly increasing 
development of several of the companies made this method inadequate, and, during the last two 
years, when a field party has not been on the ground, inspections have been made by a Government 
employee permanently stationed at Niagara Falls. Occasional investigations by the Army officer in 
charge have verified in a general way the reports of inspections. The plants of the Niagara Falls 
Power Co. and the Canadian Niagara Power Co. have recently been visited semiweekly, and the 
operating conditions, switchboard readings, nature and extent of improvements, if any, since last 
inspection, and other pertinent data have been noted, and together with similar data of weekly 
inspections of other Niagara Falls companies have been regularly reported to the Lake Survey office. 
Summaries of these reports have been duly submitted to the Chief of Engineers. 

Field operations, as noted earlier in this report, have been conducted from time to time, to 
simplify and increase the efficiency of supervision. The generating units of the Niagara Falls 
Power Co. have been calibrated as heretofore described, and the aggregate output of power for 
various practicable operating conditions, corresponding to the allowable diversion, have been deter- 
mined. It is now possible at any time to know the amount of diversion by means of switchboard 
readings, and supervision under these arrangements has consisted principally of observing the 
output of power to see that the limitations of the permit were not violated. 

The approximate relation of output and diversion in the power houses of the Niagara Falls 
Hydraulic Power & Manufacturing Co. has also been determined, and the June inspections indi- 
cate that the capacity of its plant was still well below the allowable hmit. No precise method for 
determining the maximum diversion of this company for any stated time has yet been attempted, 
but the extensive improvements under way and the rapidly increasing use of water will soon make 
more efficient methods of supervision necessary if the original permit is to be continued. 

Occasional inspections of the Lockport Hydraulic Co.'s plant at Lockport, N. Y., have shown 
that its development has at no time exceeded the capacity allowed under the permit, and its super- 
vision has therefore been largely perfunctory. On December i, 1910, the Hydraulic Race Co., 
assignee of the Lockport Hydraulic Co., made application for a new permit revised in terms to 
secure to the company the right to divert 500 cubic feet of water per second for power purposes, 
irrespective of the increased amount which will be required for navigation purposes by the enlarge- 
ment of the Erie Canal into a barge canal. A special report on the matter was prepared in the 
Lake Survey office, and upon consideration the Chief of Engineers advised that the clause in the 
original permit reciting and explaining the uses of water by the canal for navigation purposes did 
not affect the right granted for the diversion of 500 cubic feet per second for power purposes, and 
the Secretary of War accordingly notified the company that "the existing permit will therefore be 
construed, so long as it is in force, as conferring the right to divert 500 cubic feet of water per 
second for power purposes, independent of the amount which may be required for navigation, subject 
to the conditions contained therein." It is understood that manufacturing plants now planned or 
under construction will lease and fully utilize the additional water made available by the increased 
diversions of the canal. 

The supervision of transmission companies importing power into the United States has con- 
sisted since its delegation to the Lake Survey of occasionally verifying the location, number and 
size of power circuits, and of frequently inspecting the generating power houses and receiving 
stations. The total amount of power being generated at each power house, the amount being trans- 
mitted into the United States, and the amount at the same time being received within the United 



PRESERVATION OF NIAGARA FALLS. 1 5 

States, have been noted at the time of each inspection, together with the maximum amounts, in 
each case, as shown by the continuous records, since previous inspections. 

In so far as the inspections disclose, the several companies diverting water in the United States 
from the Niagara River, or receiving electrical power in the United States transmitted from Canada, 
have at all times complied with the provisions of their permits. On June 29, 1911, the plants 
of the Niagara Falls Power Co. and of the Canadian Niagara Power Co. were the only ones with 
sufficient capacity and equipment to approach or exceed the prescribed operating limitations. The 
Niagara Falls HydrauUc Power & Manufacturing Co. is making extensive alterations and additions 
to its plant and, as previously stated, will soon be in position to consume its maximum allowance 
of water. This company has, since the early inspections under its permit, closed down several of 
the diversions from its canal that were being used by tenant companies under very low efficiencies, 
and instead thereof has been supplying the mills with electrical power from its own generators, 
thereby greatly increasing the economical use of its diversion. 

The International Railway Co., which is incorporated in the State of New York and in the 
Dominion of Canada, owns and operates all the electric railways in Buffalo, Tonawanda, Lockport, 
Niagara Falls, Lewiston, and in the intervening towns and country in New York and along the 
Niagara River from Chippawa to Queenstown in Canada. Its power plant is situated in the Queen 
Victoria Niagara Falls Park, on the Canadian side, and its power is generated by water diverted 
from the Niagara River just above the western end of the Horseshoe. In 1906 Capt. (now Major) 
C. W. Kutz reported that the machinery then installed had a capacity of 3,600 electrical horsepower, 
with an effective head of 68 feet, and that from 800 to 1,200 horsepower were then used by its Can- 
adian lines. The company at that time claimed the right to export the additional power for use 
on its own lines, but as this question was in dispute with the Dominion Government, the considera- 
tion of the company's application to transmit 8,000 electrical horsepower into the United States 
has been held in abeyance, and it is understood that the rights of the company under its charter 
are still unsettled. The Lake Survey has had no supervision over this company, and in the con- 
sideration of hydraulic problems has been able to obtain only very meager data regarding its diver- 
sion or output. In answer to a recent request, the general manager reported to this office that on 
and about June 29, 1911, the company was generating 9,000 kilowatt hours per day, with an operat- 
ing head of 64 feet, and that the estimated diversion averaged 1 10 cubic feet per second, with maxi- 
mum diversions amounting to 180 second-feet. These amounts have been used in the appropriate 
estimates in this report. 

The estimated average diversions of water by the several power companies in June, 1911, are 
as follows : 

Cubic foot-seconds. 

Lockport Hydraulic Co 400 

Niagara Falls Power Co 7, 870 

Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power & Manufacttiring Co 5, 530 

Canadian Niagara Power Co 4, 300 

The Electrical Development Co 2, 900 

Ontario Power Co 3, 700 

International Railway Co no 

Total 24, 810 

The average and maximum importation of power into the United States from Canadian power 
companies in June, 191 1, under the permits, are as follows: 





Average 
horsepower. 


Maximum 
horsepower. 






10,000 

48,000 




38,000 


Ontario Power Co 





The Electrical Development Co., under a contract which expired June 20, 191 1, formerly trans- 
mitted power to Terminal B station at Buffalo in parallel with the Canadian Niagara Power Co. 



i6 



PRESERVATION OP NIAGARA PALLS. 



The load was not continuous, being the peaks for short periods of the day only. These peaks reached 
a maximum of 9,000 to 10,000 horsepower. Since the expiration of the contract no power has been 
exported from the plant of The Electrical Development Co. 

The Canadian Niagara Power Co. is transmitting its output principally to the United States 
side, delivering in varying but about evenly-divided amounts to the Niagara Falls Power Co. at 
Niagara Falls, N. Y., through conduits across the Upper Arch Bridge, and to Terminal B station at 
Buffalo over its transmission lines crossing the river from Fort Erie. 

The transmission lines of the Ontario Power Co. entering the United States cross the Niagara 
River at the Lower Rapids, and the power is received by the Niagara, Lockport and Ontario Power 
Co. and distributed to Lockport, Syracuse, Rochester, etc. 

The accompanying plate shows the location of the power lines and circuits entering the United 
States. 

The following table shows the average amount of power being generated in June, 191 1, by the 
several companies diverting water from the Niagara River and its tributaries, the mechanical efficiency 
at which each plant was then operated, and a comparison of the efficiencies based on the total fall 
from Grass Island-Chippawa pool to Suspension Bridge. Quantities given are only approximate, 
and the efficiencies of the Canadian plants and the corresponding diversions given in a previous 
table are mostly from information furnished by the companies, which has not been verified by the 
Lake Survey. 



Company. 



Lockport Hydraulic Co 

Niagara Falls Power Co 

Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power & Manufacturing 
Co . 



Canadian Niagara Power Co 

The Electrical Development Co . 

Ontario Power Co 

International Railway Co 



Total . 



Power 
generated. 



Horsepower. 

I, ISO 

78,000 

85.900 
48.700 
23,soo 

60, 300 

500 



298, 010 



Operating 
head. 



Feet. 



138 

205 
140 
135 
' 193 
64 



(=) 



Efficiency. 



Per cent. 
50 
63 

67 
71 
53 
74 
63 



Efficiency 

on basis of 

220-foot head 



Per cent. 



62 
45 
33 
65 
iS 



1 The effective head of the Ontario Power Co. is dependent upon the relation between power development 
and capacity of conduits and will eventually be about iSo feet. 
- Weighted mean efficiency. 

While the efficiencies of individual power developments indicated above are possibly in error 
and may not be a fair basis of comparison as between the several companies, the average, which is 
fairly correct, indicates the possibility of a greatly increased economy of conversion. With continued 
restrictions in the use of water, improved operating conditions, and a more economical development 
of the natural energy may be expected. 

In conclusion, it is due the several companies and their oflBcers to express appreciation of their 
generous cooperation in making supervision easy and effective and of their courtesy in acceding to 
every suggestion or request from this office. 




O.C.OF E.OOT. 13,1911. 



REPORTS OF THE NIAGARA FALLS COMMITTEE. 



New York City, N. Y., September 20, 1907. 
The Hon. William H. Taft, 

Secretary of War, Washington, D. C. 

Sir: In your opinion, dated January 18, 1907, in the matter of applications under the Burton 
Act for the issue of permits for the diversion of water from the Niagara River and for the importation 
of electrical power from Canada into the United States, you appointed a committee to advise you 
what changes, at an expense not out of proportion to the extent of the investment, could be made 
on the American side of the canyon, below the Falls, which would put it in natural harmony with the 
Falls and the other surroundings, and which would conceal, as far as possible, the raw commercial 
aspect of that region. 

The committee as first appointed consisted of Mr. Charles F. McKim, Mr. Frank D. Millet, and 
Mr. F. 1,. Olmsted. By a subsequent order, dated March 20, 1907, Capts. John S. Sewell and Charles 
W. Kutz, Corps of Engineers, United States Army, were detailed as additional members of this 
committee. 

The committee now has the honor to submit a brief progress report of its operations up to the 
present time. 

The committee held its first meeting at 10 a. m., March 19, 1907, in the oiBce of Mr. Charles F. 
McKim, in New York City, at which the Secretary of War was present. Captain Sewell 'and Captain 
Kutz were also present, though not designated as members of the committee until the following day. 

The Secretary of War requested the committee to go to the Falls and make a careful study of 
the situation, with the object of ultimately submitting to him a comprehensive report on the subject. 

Copies of the most recent maps of the Falls and its vicinity were obtained from the Lake Survey 
and Geological Survey, and cadastral maps of the American side of the canyon below the bridge 
were obtained from the American power companies. 

The committee spent three days at the Falls, April 4, 5, and 6, and made a very thorough 
examination of the situation from a scenic and architectural standpoint. 

Commissioner Porter, of the Niagara Falls State reservation, placed a room in the Administra- 
tion Building at the disposal of the committee and facilitated its work in every possible way. 

The committee is also indebted to the Hon. Peter A. Porter, Member of Congress from that 
district, for valuable assistance in its work. 

Arrangements were made with a local photographer to furnish the committee with a series of 
photographs showing the conditions at different points in the gorge, and interviews were had with 
representatives of the American power companies. 

The Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power & Manufacturing Co. owns or controls, or is directly inter- 
ested in, most of the property on the American side of the gorge, below the bridge, and it was at 
this point that the most objectionable conditions existed. 

At numerous points in this region solid and liquid refuse was being wasted over the edge of the 
blufif, and, due to this, the natural growth on the talus slope had been practically destroyed. 

This same company has in progress the construction of a new power house, known as No. 3. 
The committee was unanimously of the opinion that the scenic conditions would be greatly improved 
by modifying the design of the power-house wall so as to reduce the scale of units in elevation, and 
by substituting coursed rubble for concrete in the power-house walls and in the screen walls inclosing 
the penstocks. 

Meetings were held in New York City on April 29, May 2, and June 3, at which modified designs 
for the power-house and screen wall were considered. 

19070—11 i 17 



l8 PRESERVATION OF NIAGARA FALLS. 

During the month of May Captain Sewell, as a representative of the commission, visited Niagara 
Falls for consultation with the representatives of the Hj-draulic Company and, as a result of his 
negotiations, a memorandum was prepared for the Secretary of War, setting forth a plan by which 
the objectionable features in the power-house design could be corrected, together with an estimate 
of the cost of making these changes. 

Mr. Olmsted also visited the Falls during this period to look at the planting that had been started 
on the talus slope by the Hydraulic Company and to examine into the conditions controlling possible 
further steps for the restoration of vegetation in the gorge. 

The memorandum above referred to was duly considered by the Secretary of War at a hearing 
held by him in New York City on June 27, 1907, at which the commission, as well as representatives 
of the Hydraulic Company, were present. 

As a result of this hearing, the company agreed to make the desired modifications and further 
agreed to stop the wasting of liquid and solid refuse over the edge of the cliff and to restore the 
natural growth wherever possible on the part of the talus imder its control. 

The obligations which this company assumed are set forth in detail in certain correspondence 
had with Captain Sewell, copies of which have been forwarded to the Chief of Engineers for the infor- 
mation of the department. 

At the last meeting of the committee, July 16, 1907, the proposed forms of permits to the 
different companies were presented to the committee, and the following clauses, bearing upon 
scenic conditions, were formally approved : 

I. Niagara Falls Power Co. — The grantee shall, as far as possible, restore the natural conditions on its property, 
below the upper arch bridge, by removing the tar and other waste materials, which mar the beauty of the gorge, and 
by replanting the talus slope. 

a. Niagara Falls Hydraulic Poiver and Manufacturing Co. — The grantee shall carry out in good faith the obligations 
which it assumed in its letters to the War Department, or to the representatives of that department, concerning the 
improvement of the scenic conditions on the American side of the gorge below the upper arch bridge. 

3. Niagara Falls Electrical Transmission Co. — One of the objects of the law being the preservation of the natural 
scenic conditions of the falls and the gorge, it is stipulated that the plans for carrying the power across the international 
boundary be submitted to the Secretary of War for approval before work is undertaken. For the same reason it is 
further stipulated, that no steps be taken by the grantee, or its allied interests (as disclosed in its application for a 
permit), toward the construction of another bridge across the Niagara River. 

4. Niagara, Lockpori & Ontario Power Co. — One of the objects of the law being the preservation of the natural 
scenic conditions of the falls and the gorge, it is stipulated that the grantee shall, either directly or through the Ontario 
Power Co., take steps to restore the natiu^al growth on the sides of the gorge, where power is now brought into the 
United States. It is fiuAer stipulated that no additional power crossings shall be undertaken until the plans therefor 
have been approved by the Secretary of War. 

No clause bearing upon scenic conditions was incorporated in the transmission permit of the 
Niagara Falls Power Co. 

The committee having been ad\ased by the Secretary of War that it would be continued for an 
indefinite period, a permanent organizarion was effected at its meeting of July i6th by the election 
of Mr. Charles F. McKim as chairman and Capt. Charles W. Kutz as secretary. Mr. F. D. Millet 
was designated as chairman pro tem during the absence of Mr. McKim in Europe. 

At this meeting a committee was appointed to prepare a draft of a report,^ which in due course 
will be submitted to the department. 

Respectfully submitted. 

F. D. Millet, Chairman pro tem. 



The Niagara Falls Committee, 

Washington, October 2, igii. 
The Honorable the Secretary of War. 

Sir: I have the honor to submit herewith the annual report of the Niagara Falls Committee. 
Yours, respectfully, 

F. D. Millet, Chairman. 

1 See report of April 13, z9oS.*printed in H: Doc. No. 431, 61st Cong., ad sess." 



PRESERVATION OF NIAGARA FALLS. I9 

The Honorable the Secretary of War, 

Washington, D. C. 
Sir: i. Complying with the instructions of your letter of September 11, 1911, to Mr. F. D. 
Millet, chairman, the Niagara Falls Committee has the honor to submit the following report of its 
operations since its previous report of April 5, 1909, together with a resum6 of all its operations to 
date. 

2. This committee was originally appointed and its duties prescribed in the opinion of the Hon. 
W. H. Taft, then Secretary of War, dated January 18, 1907. The following extract from that opinion 
specifically bears upon the appointment and duties of the committee: 

As the object of the act is to preserve the scenic beaut>' of Niagara Falls, I conceive it to be within my power to 
impose conditions upon the granting of these permits, compliance witli which will remedy the unsightly appearance 
that is given to the American side of the canyon just below the Falls on the American side where the tunnel of the 
Niagara Falls Power Co. discharges and where the works of the Hydraulic Co. are placed. 

The representative of the American Civic Association has properly described the effect upon the sightseer of the 
view toward the side of the canyon to be that of looking into the back yard of a house negligently kept. For the 
purpose of aiding me in determining what ought to be done to remove this eyesore, including the appearance of the 
buildings at tlie top, I shall appoint a committee consisting of Charles F. McKim, Frank D. Millet, and F. L. Olmsted 
to advise me what changes at an expense not out of proportion to the extent of the investment can be made which will 
put the side of the canyon at this point from bottom to top in natrual harmony with the Falls and the other surround- 
ings and will conceal as far as possible the raw commercial aspect that now offends the eye. This consideration has 
been kept in view in the construction of works on the Canadian side and in the building of the Niagara Falls Power Co. 
above the falls. There is no reason why similar care should not be enforced here. 

3. The committee named above was afterwards increased by the detail of Capts. John Stephen 
Sewell and Charles W. Kutz, Corps of Engineers, United States Army, as additional members bv an 
order of the Secretary of War, dated March 20, 1907. 

4. The original personnel of the committee has been altered by the death of Mr. C. F. McKim 
on September 14, 1909, and by the relief of Capt. Kutz, who on August 10, 1908, was replaced by 
Maj. Charles Keller, Corps of Engineers, United States Army. Capt. (afterwards Major) Sewell has, 
since his appointment as member of the committee, resigned his commission as an officer of the 
Army, but still continues his membership in the committee. 

5. Shortly after taking up its duties the committee was instructed in an inter\dew with the 
Secretary of War that it was also authorized to consider "scenic and artistic conditions in a general 
way while preserving the essence of the definition of its duties as set forth in the Secretary of War's 
opinion of January 18, 1907." 

6. Reports setting forth fully the nature of the objectionable features on the American side of 
the canyon at Niagara Falls and the possible remedies therefor, as well as the progress made in 
improving the conditions, were rendered on September 20, 1907, April 13, 1908, and April 5, 1909. 
The last two are printed in full in House Document No. 431, Sixty-first Congress, second session, and 
the other is on file in the War Department. In these reports is recorded all progress made up to the 
period covered in the present report. 

7. Since the date of the last report (Apr. 5, 1909) the committee has held three meetings, one 
at Washington, D. C, on March 10, 1910, for the purpose of conferring upon certain matters brought 
before the committee by the president and secretary of the American Civic Association, and the 
others at Niagara Falls on August 22, 1910, and on June 22, 191 1, both of the latter meetings being 
for the purpose of inspecting the improvements and changes undertaken at the suggestion of the 
committee. 

8. Under the instructions of the Secretary of War the committee has been limited to demanding 
the improvement of objectionable conditions only in the case of the power companies to whom 
permits for the diversion of water or for the transmission of electrical energy from Canada into the 
United States were, under the terms of the act of June 29, 1906, issued by the Secretary of War, 
and control has been limited to the extent specifically provided in each permit. Beyond this the 
committee has been without power, so that many evidently objectionable features and practices 
remain to be remedied by the local authorities or through the force of a more enlightened public 
sentiment. 



20 PRESERVATION OF NIAGARA FALLS. 

9. Specifically, under the terms of permits issued by the Secretary of War, the committee has been 
able to secure the following beneficial changes: The design of the power house No. 3 of the Niagara 
Falls Power & Manufacturing Co. (now the Hydraulic Power Co.) has been altered and the power 
house has been buUt under plans and with materials which serve to keep it in harmony with the site 
and the natural surroundings, while in no wise detracting from its usefulness. The penstocks leading 
downward from the brink of the cliff to this power house have been covered by a screen or curtain 
wall of rubble masonry built of stone broken from the cliff in the building operations. This wall, 
therefore, harmonizes in color and texture with the cliff itself. The dumping of waste and refuse 
from the cliff of the milling district has been discontinued, many unsightly structures have been 
removed, and much rubbish cleared away. The slopes of the banks between the highway bridge and 
power house No. 3 have also been cleared of the accumulated dumpings of years, and the planting of 
this bank and part of the slope below power house No. 3 has been very successful. Of the 15 streams 
of tail water discharging upon the bank of the milling district, 6 have been discontinued altogether 
and by the close of the present season 4 more will have disappeared. The large photographs here- 
with, marked "A" and " B," show the improvement effected in the milling district to the north of the 
highway bridge between June, 1907, and July, 191 1, and in particular show satisfactory changes in 
the nuitiber and volume of the tail-water streams. These photographs have been furnished through 
the kindness of the Hydraulic Power Co. of Niagara Falls (formerly the Niagara Falls Hydraulic 
Power & Manufacturing Co.), as also the remaining photos herewith. Comparison will show the 
gratifying nature of the changes as follows : 

Photo " C" shows the talus north of power house No. 3 after the bank had been cleared of rubbish, 
and "D" shows the slope as it is now. 

Photos "E" and "F" serve to show original and present conditions between power house No. 2 
and the highway bridge. 

Photos "G" and "H" show original and existing conditions at the brink of the cliff and the 
great improvement which has been effected at this point. 

Photo "I" gives a closer and better view of the plantations at the edge of the cliff. "J" is a view 
of the edge of the cliff back of the plant of the Cliff Paper Co., where the newly planted vines and 
shrubs have attained a luxuriant growth, and "K" shows similar success to the north of gate house 
No. 3 and near the plant of the Aluminum Co. of America. 

ID. It is plain that existing conditions in and near the milling district are greatly improved. 
These changes have been made partly at the expense of the Niagara Falls Power Co. , which cooperated 
by planting its portal lot just north of the highway bridge, and, in much the larger part, at the cost 
of the HydrauUc Power Co. of Niagara Falls, which owns the power plants to the north of the bridge. 
The committee desires to express here its appreciation of the public spirit and liberality shown by 
these companies. 

II. The following quotation from a letter of the Hydraulic Power Co. to the committee is a 
statement of what this company has accomplished and of its plans for the future and gives some 
details not previously mentioned: 

We beg to present the attached photos and call your attention to a series of photos marked "A," taken June, 1907, 
and an accompanying series marked "B," taken July, 1911, which, among other things, show the overflows over the 
bank and the outflow from the old power developments, which we have numbered from i to 13 . 

We would say that by the end of this season No. i, No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, No. $}4, No. 6, No. 7, No. 8, No. 12, and 
No. 13 will all be eliminated. No. 2 is tlie outlet of our ice run from Station No. 3, and will be used to some extent 
during the winter months. No. 9, No. 10, and No. 11 are the outflo-ws from the Pettebone-Cataract Paper Co. and the 
Cataract City Milling Co., over which we have no control, but are using all the diplomatic effort we can to improve the 
conditions, and hope to be able to have No. 11 partially or all eliminated. 

We have changed both the large flour mills from hydraulic power to electrical power, and have also purch ased the 
land on which the ruins are located, between the two above mills, and are now tearing them down, the photos already 
showing a great improvement. This will eliminate objectionable conditions at No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, and No. 5X, and 
we are planning to build a rough rubble wall between the two large mills and plant shrubbery in order to hide all 
structures between these two mills. 

We have also purchased the city waterworks, and this plant is about to be discontinued, which will eliminate 
No. 12, and it is otu' plan to tear out the old wooden facing about the outflow and replace it with a rubble wall . 

We are further planning to increase the number of shrubs back of both of the large mills, which will improve the 
present conditions at these places . 



PRESERVATION OF NIAGARA FALLS. 



21 



No. 13, which was the city sewer outlet north of our station No. 3, has been eliminated by being built into a tunnel. 

We believe you will note a great improvement in appearances southerly from our station No. 2, especially back of 
the plants at the top of the hill, and in the increase in shrubben,' on the bank. 

The vertical strip in which the shrubbery does not show as luxuriant as in other places is due to the breaking away 
from the bank itself of some large bowlders during the past winter, which slid down the talus slope, carrying everything 
in their path before them, which has necessitated planting this section. 

Also on the talus slope at the north end of our Station No. 3 the planting is beginning to show pleasing effect, and 
in a few years more we believe will practically cover the entire area in this section. 

The concrete showing in the high bank wall back of station No. 3, in the "B" series, is now being covered with 
rubble, the scaffolding for its placing being clearly seen, and at the date of this letter is definitely in advance of the 
conditions shown in the photograph. 

The concrete base of the power station No. 3 will undoubtedly be covered by the rubble wall akeady approved 
by your commission, and before the end of this season, which will make this part of the structure blend with the other 
parts. 

The whole effect of station No. 3, including the station itseh, the high bank wall, and the gate house at the top 
of the hill, we believe will be pleasing to your commission, as we have used every effort to make this structure as pleas- 
ing as possible, and its construction to the elevator will undoubtedly greatly improve the whole appearance. 

We believe we can be justly proud of this structure, not only in its general scenic effect, but in the fact that it 
represents by far the highest efficiency use of water at Niagara Falls, not only in point of actual head available, but in 
the engineering accomplishments. 

12. Under the tenns of the permit issued to the Niagara Falls, Lockport & Ontario Power Co., 
for the transmission of electrical energy into the United States from Canada, this company was 
required to restore the natural growth on the side of the gorge where power is now brought into the 
United States. Recent visits by the members of the committee show that plantings made by this 
company are fairiy prosperous and that the naked scar at the United States terminal of this power 
crossing is in a fair way to be covered with vegetation. 

13. The only other permit carrying a restrictive clause in the interest of the preservation and 
protection of scenic conditions is that of the Niagara Falls Electrical Transmission Co., which is, 
under the terms of its permit, forbidden to build another bridge at or near the falls and is further 
required to secure the antecedent approval of the War Department for any power crossing it may 
propose to build. Up to the present, this company has built neither bridge nor power crossing. 
A bill introduced into Congress, presumably in its interest (S. 1727, 6ist Cong.), was the subject 
of adverse report by the secretary of the committee on the ground that the bridge, therein proposed 
to be built about 500 feet north of the existing highway bridge, would be decidedly objectionable 
in its effect upon scenic conditions, and was moreover unnecessary, except for the purpose of such a 
power crossing as was forbidden by the above restrictive clause in the permit of the Niagara Falls 
Electrical Transmission Co. 

14. Further than to supervise the construction of power house No. 3 of the Hydraulic Power 
Co., the cleaning and planting of the sides of the gorge in the milling district, and the plantings made 
on the east side of the power crossing of the Niagara Falls, Lockport & Ontario Povrer Co., the com- 
mittee has been able to do practically nothing to remedy the deplorable conditions existing elsewhere 
on the American side of the canyon north of Niagara Falls. Apparently the situation is beyoiyi 
national control, except through the creation of the national reservation recommended in House 
Document No. 431, Sixty-first Congress, second session. In the absence of such reservation, or 
of similar effective action by the State of New York, vandalism will continue unchecked. The 
most recent instance of the kind is the installation by the Gorge Railway Co. of a stone crusher 
at the site of an ancient slide or slip about a half mile north of the power crossing of the 
Niagara, Lockport & Ontario Power Co. Close examination shows no trace of extensive destruction 
of vegetation, but the small amount remaining, or which has grown up since the slide or slip which 
caused the original scar, has been considerably dam,aged by the company's operations. A number 
of trees and shrubs have been killed and others have been barked and injured. Some of the trees 
and stumps are still seen in place near the stone crusher. The damage done by the operations of the 
company is shown, in part, by photographs Nos. 1,2,3, and 4, herewith, as follows: 

No. I . Rocks being dug from the bank just above stone crusher. 

No. 2. Rocks collected for crusher, looking down steep bank to crusher plant. 

No. 3. Looking up from crusher toward No. 2. 



22 PRESERVATION OF NIAGARA FALLS. 

No. 4. View of the stone-crushing plant, taken from the Canadian side of the gorge. 

15. At the Whirlpool Rapids recently the scenery has been needlessly damaged and much 
vec^etation destroyed in erecting on private land an ugly staircase, a fence, and other structures, 
as "shown in photographs No. 5 and No. 6. Such damage will continue so long as private selfishness 
and cupidity remain unrestrained. 

For the committee: 

Respectfullv submitted. ^ .^ ,, ^, • 

^ ■ F. D. MiLLBT, Chairman. 

o 




1. ROCKS BEING DUG FROM BANK JUST ABOVE STONE CRUSHER. 




2. ROCKS COLLECTED FOR CRUSHER, LOOKING DOWN STEEP BANK TO CRUSHER PLANT. 




3. LOOKING UP FROM CRUSHER TOWARD NO. 2. 




LJ 

o 
cc 
o 
o 



I 




STRUCTURES ON PRIVATE LAND NEAR WHIRLPOOL RAPIDS. 




/ING 



i'lEW SHOWI^G IMPROVEMENT EFFECTED IN MILLING DISTRICT NORTH OF HIGHWAY BRIDGE, JUNE 24, 1907. 




MPRC 



B, VIEW SHOWING IMPROVEMENT EFFECTED IN MILLING DISTRICT NORTH OF HIGHWAY BRIDGE. JULY 5, 1911. 



Lb Mr ^12 




si 







^"^ 



o 







^^i'. - 












<"> 






^»*- -•'.0*' -m.-- %/ :^^: -^^/ ■^^^- ^'./ 



.0 . ' * o 



♦ D .0 " 



>* ° x° -n^. 




\* .. -i- ""' f° V •■' .V 



.v«?;- °- ,/.•!;.•■.'■% ,o*..-..*o, ,*»\.--.X ■■ .0*',..-. *=. .« 










.\0-=C 



n":) 




■^-^ < > . s • • , /-s n» 










fl^-o^ 






o V 






^°-n^ 













t^o^ 



L^ .1 



o V 



^'* ^^^'\ -.^K^" /\ x^'^^^>^ -^^'^ •. 






- <5 

0-' 'he 

9^ ... V. 



a K o 













.*^ 















c^ 



*,* 



y 






, T.-y \''f.^\^^ ^-^^^^o^"^ \''f>.'\^'' ^^y^iW^\<f ^ • 







